5 cricketers who got a statue in India ft. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar's statue was unveiled at the iconic Wankhede stadium on November 1, one day before India's clash against Sri Lanka at the 2023 World Cup.
The Mumbai-born batter has etched his name forever in cricket history and has countless records to his credit. It was an immense honor, even for a legend like him, to be immortalized forever at the stadium he calls home.
However, Sachin Tendulkar is not the only cricketer who has a statue of himself in the subcontinental country. Here are five cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, who have been honored with a statue in India.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
As mentioned earlier, Sachin Tendulkar has recently been rewarded with a statue at the Wankhede Stadium for his extraordinary achievements for both his country and for Mumbai cricket. Most notably, he has scored a hundred international centuries.
Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run scorer in both ODIs as well as Tests, with almost 35,000 runs across both formats for India. Despite not being known for his bowling, Tendulkar was more than handy with the ball, picking up 200 wickets in international cricket.
#2 Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly is another cricket icon from the 1990s and 2000s who has a statue of himself in the country. Dada, as he is fondly referred to, has a statue in the Balurghat Stadium in West Bengal, which was unveiled in 2017.
The former Indian captain was a mainstay in the Men in Blue's batting unit for over a decade. He was mainly renowned for his exploits in ODIs, where he amassed 11,363 runs in 311 matches. Ganguly also has 100 ODI wickets under his belt.
#3 CK Nayudu
India's first Test captain, Colonel CK Nayudu, holds the record for having the longest career in first-class cricket, spanning 47 years from 1916 to 1963. The CK Nayudu Trophy is a domestic tournament played between under-25 players. He has been honored with multiple statues in the last two decades or so.
Nehru Stadium in Indore, Holkar Stadium in Indore, and ACA-VDCA Stadium in Vishakapatnam are three stadiums where Nayudu's statue can be spotted. Often regarded as the first great Indian cricketer, Nayudu scored 11,825 runs in first-class cricket.
#4 Vinoo Mankad
Vinoo Mankad's statue was unveiled by current Prime Minister Narendra Modi back in 2004 at the Ajitsinhji Cricket Pavilion in Jamnagar. Born in Jamnagar in 1917, Mankad held the record for the highest opening partnership (413 runs) for 52 years before it was broken in 2008 by Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie.
Equally capable with the bat and ball, the former Indian captain scored 11,591 runs and picked up 782 wickets in 233 first-class matches. The Vinoo Mankad Trophy, the under-19 domestic tournament, is named after him.
#5 DB Deodhar
DB Deodhar is known as the Grand Old Man of Indian cricket. In 2012, a statue of him was unveiled at the MCA Stadium in Pune. A college professor by profession, Deodhar was an explosive right-handed batter and a part-time spinner.
He played 81 first-class matches, scoring 4522 runs at an average just shy of 40. Following his retirement from cricket, he served in various roles for both BCCI and MCA. The Deodar Trophy is a one-day tournament that started in 1973 and is named in his honor.